“We can’t tolerate this any more. These tragedies must end. And to end them, we must change.”

US president Barack Obama addresses mourners at an interfaith vigil in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 primary pupils and six teachers were shot dead

“I think we will be hesitating to try to give any advice, but there do seem to be similarities between the community in Newtown and our community here in Dunblane. So perhaps we can begin to understand what they’re going through and the sheer numbing incomprehension they must all be feeling at the moment.”

Rev Colin McIntosh, minister of Dunblane Cathedral.